Nurgaliyev fires police station chief in Kazan

March 15, 2012, 12:00 UTC+3Tatarstan Interior Minister told Nurgaliyev he was ready for any punishment for the "Dalny" incident

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MOSCOW, March 15 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev fired chief of the "Dalny" police station in Kazan, where police officers had tortured a man to death.

Speaking at an extraordinary Interior Ministry meeting over the incident, he said, "I decided to sack chief of the "Dalny" police station Valery Yefremov, and reprimand head of the department of moral and psychological support of the Russian Interior Ministry Triputin, as well as Tatarstan's police chief Safarov."

Nurgaliyev ordered "a thorough analysis of work to be carried out by the heads of interior bodies."

"Check into all the cases of hiding crimes," he demanded.

"Each regional interior department will hold a meeting to discuss the results of the check. The deadline is April 10," the interior minister went on to say.

He noted that the violations and crimes by police officers show a lack of control and education.

Tatarstan Interior Minister told Nurgaliyev he was ready for any punishment for the "Dalny" incident.

Aside from the measures taken in connection with the case, further reshuffles are possible at the "Dalny" police station and the Kazan interior department.

"The question is why young police officers of the "Dalny" station, who only worked six months to three or four years, committed such an outrageous act," Nurgaliyev told Safarov.

"Because of a lack of proper control on the part of their superiors and shortcomings in education work with them" Safarov responded.

In his opinion, the whole system of educating young personnel, beginning from training in police colleges, should be overhauled.

Earlier reports said on March 9, Sergei Nazarov, who had six previous convictions, was brought to the "Dalny" police station in Kazan, Tatarstan, in a state of alcoholic intoxication for petty hooliganism. On the same evening, an ambulance was called to the police station as Nazarov had complained of stomach ache. Nazarov refused to go to hospital.

A doctor examined Nazarov and made an injection of painkiller. On March 10 afternoon, Nazarov complained about stomach ache again. This time, an ambulance rushed him to city hospital # 18 with rectum rupture, where he died after surgery.

According to preliminary results of a forensic examination, the injuries were inflicted on the detainee with a blunt object. Experts also said "he could not have inflicted them on his own."

Nazarov's relatives said he was not drunk at the moment of detention and that before surgery, he said police had tortured him with a champagne bottle.

Five police officers, suspected of torturing the man, have been detained.